Chimney Fire Safety Week was introduced in 2009 and aims to raise the awareness of safe chimney use, including the importance of ensuring that chimneys are swept regularly, are clean and appropriate quality fuel is used. Whilst there was a reduction in nationwide chimney fires during the year April 2014-March 2015, there were still over 5,500 avoidable incidents. Did you know that 82% of chimney fires are caused by blocked chimneys? Here at Limegreen we want to make sure that you are safe in your homes, so we have compiled this guide of tips to avoid having a chimney fire. Chimney safety check list Get your chimney cleaned by a reputable chimney sweep. Creosote builds up in chimneys over time and also birds have a tendency to build nests or fall down them. Test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. It is absolutely imperative that you make sure these work. Start to bring in some seasoned wood into your house to keep it dry and ready to go. This will create space in your covered wood pile and allow you to prepare even more wood. Use a stove thermometer. Installing a stovepipe thermometer helps you to monitor flue temperatures and adjust burning practices as needed Never leave a fire unattended. ALWAYS extinguish before leaving the house or going to bed. There were 4221 chimney fires in #England (April 2016-March 2017). Don’t become a chimney fire statistic this winter! Call Limegreen to get your flue inspected or chimney swept on 029 2066 6622

Do you want to join Limegreen? We’re hiring and currently on the hunt for a superstar spark (electrician) to join our expanding team. Experience in domestic electrical installations is required. The successful applicants can expect a high earning potential and excellent benefits. If you’re interested in applying for a position in one of the fastest growing businesses in South Wales, contact Rhys Gale on 029 2066 6622.

What would you do if your boiler breaks down? Who would you call? A heating engineer or a plumber? We get phone calls all the time from worried customers form across south Wales with faulty boilers who are unsure whether they have called the right person. It’s fair to say that the lines between a heating engineer and a plumber can be blurred and when the pressure is on to stop a leak from a boiler or restore heat to you house, knowing which one to call can make all the difference. Your boiler uses a lot of water pipes and is plumbed into the mains, so should you call a plumber to repair your boiler? The answer to this question is …. No. Here’s the difference between the two. Heating Engineer The clue is in the name! A heating engineer will work solely on heating in domestic and commercial properties rather than working across the broader industry, making them specialists in heating and gas work. They carry out a wide range of jobs from maintaining and installing heating pipework to fixing appliances when they break down. For this reason, you may prefer to contact a heating engineer rather than a plumber, as they may be more familiar with your issue. You should still ensure that your heating engineer is Gas Safe registered before allowing them to work on your boiler. Plumbers We feel the confusion has come from plumbers, as their trade can cover a multitude of tasks when it comes to bathrooms, kitchens, wet pipes, dry pipes, boiler maintenance or servicing and heating systems. While many plumbers do possess a number of plumbing skills and qualifications, they are not essential in order for them to trade as a plumber, meaning that anyone can refer to themselves as a plumber without any formal certifications. Although they may be experts in their field and highly recommended, they may not be Gas Safe registered and therefore can not work on your boiler. Some plumbers are also Gas Safe registered, however this should not be expected as standard. If you find a plumber who is also offering gas central heating services, check the Gas Safe register to make sure that they are legally permitted to work with gas. Gas Safe Register A boiler repair or service involves working with gas, so only a Gas Safe registered engineer can legally work on a gas boiler. The gas industry is highly regulated to ensure that relevant services are provided to the highest safety standards, so if your repair is to a boiler or other gas appliance, you must make sure that you contact a Gas Safe engineer. Luckily Limgreen has everything you need right here, with just one phone call and a few simple questions we can have the right person on the job. Boiler Check list. Check your gas supply – are your other appliances working? Is the emergency control valve open? If none of your appliances are working, then call your

Winter is over and you have managed to make it through without any major problems. However, those little faults that have started to appear are only going to get worse. So what do you do? Is it worth buying boiler cover to ensure you stay warm whatever the weather? Boiler cover will give you access to engineers who can repair your heating in an emergency. This usually includes an annual service too, but how do you know the problem isn’t going to come back. Or on the flip side, do you consider investing in a new boiler? The first thing to ask yourself is how old is your boiler? If your boiler is old, getting insurance doesn’t really make sense, you will probably struggle to get a policy that is cost-effective and may not even get cover at all. Providers tend to cap the age of boilers they will insure at 15 years, sometimes even lower. In most instances the average cover would cost around £20 a month which will give you peace of mind, but is this cover worth it? The answer is No. Most of those who opt for cover will never have to claim, they end up spending more on the cover than getting a brand NEW boiler fitted would cost and a new one means you’re automatically covered by the new warranty or guarantee. Not only will you save on the cost of repairs and insurance with a warranty but modern boilers are far more energy-efficient. Upgrading from a G-rated to an A-rated boiler will save around £340 a year! What’s more, Limegreen are a Worcester Bosch Accredited installer which means we can offer the full 10 years guarantee on all parts and labour should anything go wrong with your boiler. This is effectively what you get with your boiler insurance, but with the added bonus of having an A-rated energy efficient new boiler, giving you even more savings a year. To learn more about getting a brand new Worcester Bosch Boiler installed this summer go to http://www.limegreenuk.com/boilers or call to arrange for one of our engineers to come out and visit you today. 029 2066 6622

Limegreen’s engineer is on cue for pool success. When he’s not fixing boilers for Limegreen customers, our very own Richard Stephens is a bit of an expert with the pool cue and has potted himself a place on the Welsh Senior ‘A’ pool squad. Richard made the team after proving his skills in a series of trials and wins at tournaments all over, which included many opponents in the UK and from across different continents. Richard will be amongst 50 other players selected to compete in a forthcoming European blackball championship. This will be held at the Spa Theatre in Bridlington, on the 22nd of April. ( Click here for event details) The talented 8-ball star has been with Limegreen for over 3 years and we wish him every success as he tries to pot his way into a continental championship. Good luck Richard!

Danny’s turning up the heat at the World skills competition! Limegreen always tries to offer the best possible service and to do this we only work with the very best super stars at all levels of our talented team. That’s why it’s no suprise that one of our newest team members has been nominated for the Welsh heat of the World Skills competition! Young Danny (Daniel McGee) is on his 2nd year of a Gas and Plumbing apprenticeship at the CAVC (Cardiff & Vale College) and is due to take part in the UK selection for the World Skills finals. The one day World skills competition on the 23rd March at Coleg Ceredigion will determine if he will progress to the final. The top 12-14 scoring competitors for each trade area will progress through to the Welsh Skill which will be held at GRWP LLANDRILLO MENAI –MENAI CAMPUS. World Skills is the global hub for skills excellence and development, through international cooperation and development between industry, government and institutions. They promote the benefits of skilled professionals through grass-roots community projects, skills competitions, and knowledge exchange. This shows how important skills education and training is for youth by challenging young professionals from around the world to become the best in the skill of their choice. The competition final which lasts for four days welcomes professionals from across the globe and will be held in Abu Dhabi. We would like to wish Daniel the very best of luck in the next stage, we know you’ve got this! Our customers can follow Daniel’s progress by become a friend of the Limegreen’s Facebook or Twitter page.

February is the worst month for boiler breakdowns The days are getting longer and the traditional deep chill that sweeps the country seems to be lifting. That doesn’t mean it’s plain sailing from here through to Spring. February is the month that we experience more boiler call outs than any other month of the year. Figures reported by insurer Direct Line for Business state that boiler repair claims during February are 163% higher than the monthly average, with last winter showing a 27% increase in broken down boiler claims compared to the previous year. Despite having a moderately warm winter our boilers have been under a large amount of stress over the winter period. While we all hunker down and cwtch up in our living rooms and blast the heating first thing in the morning to help the transition from your warm bed to the kitchen, it is easy to get complacent with our boilers. So if you have been lucky enough to have a problem free season so far, it is not uncommon for small problems to start appearing in your heating systems now. Boiler breakdowns can happen at any time and it is not always the cold weather that causes these problems. Taking the proper precautions can prevent these problems from surfacing and regular maintenance will ensure that your boiler runs smoothly, so you don’t get caught out with a chilly house next winter. If your boiler is starting to show the strains of winter call us on : 029 2066 6620

Christmas has been and gone and a New Year has started, but that doesn’t mean we can dig out our flip flops and coast our way to spring. In previous years our coldest months are December, January and February, when the temperature is usually between 3 and 6°C. Keeping in the heat and making best use of what you have are essential if you are to make the most of your central heating until springtime. 1 Fill In Those Gaps Make sure that all your doors are free from drafts and there’s no sneaky cold air vents feeding into your home, you would be …‘blown away’ by the number of draughts that can be found in the average home. Make sure you put a hat on, loft insulation is the best way to keep the warmth in. The savings to be made with cavity wall insulation vary greatly dependent upon what kind of house you live in (between £90 and £275), but let’s face it savings are savings no matter how big your wallet is and the warmer your house stays the less you’ll use your heating. 2 Change the temperatures in each room Not the easiest thing to remember or even do, setting radiators at different temperatures is useful. Let’s say, like most of us, you’re ‘chilling’ out in the living room in the evening, but you’ll want a bit of heat in the bedroom for when you decide to hit the hay. You should keep the heating on at a low temperature upstairs because this will save you money on your heating and help you to not freeze in bed. Also see our Smart thermostats post on ways to heat different rooms. 3 Unplug Electricals Turn electricals off when not being used or put them on stand by mode. The amount of appliance wastage we have in our homes now has tripled over the last 15 years. This again will save you money on your energy bills. 4 Free Up Your Radiators By this we don’t mean unscrew your rads from the wall so they can make a dash for it when our bad is turned. We simply mean, as we have said many times before – keep stuff away from your radiators. Ensuring that furniture and clothes horses and other obstructions have been moved will allow heat to circulate more freely around your room. You wouldn’t try and get a better picture on your TV by moving the cupboard in front of it? Give it room to spread the heat. 5 Get Your Boiler Serviced Regular servicing not only protects the life of your boiler and keeps it running efficiently, it also protects your family’s safety. A neglected boiler can be a source of leaks and carbon monoxide poisoning which kills one person in the UK every week and leaves four more seriously ill. Read more about getting your boiler serviced 6 Swap To LED Lights Are you putting Christmas lights up this year? Well, it wouldn’t be Christmas without lights would it? However, how much of

Get in touch

Please contact us today on

☎ 029 2066 6622
✉ info@limegreenuk.com

We will do our best to reply within 24 hours

Current Job Openings

We are pleased to announce that Limegreen is expanding and subsequently we are on the hunt for an experienced gas engineer to join our team. The successful applicant can expect a high earning potential and excellent benefits.